The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-10-08
CALICO PRINTING.
The Nader style of Applying the COlOrs to
the Cloth.

nap to the surface of the cloth, and if
allowed to remain, would interfere
with the uniform application of the
colors. The surface down is got rid of
by the process of smuggling, during
which the cloth is drawn over red
hot iron or copper bar, or plate, or
through series of gas jets. When
well singed the cloth undergoes the
process of bleaching, and is thereafter
calendered. There are several modes
of applying the colors to cloth, only
one of which. termed the madden style,
we have space to describe.
The madden style is that in which a
certain fixing agent or mordant is
printed on the cloth, which is then in
troduced into the coloring matter, in
a dye-vat, when the mordant, having
an attraction alike for the fiber of the
cloth and for the coloring matter, acts
the part of glue or paste, and cements
the color to the cloth. Originally,
madden was the only coloring substance
employed in this style; but nowadays
by far the greater number of dye-stuffs,
vegetable and animal, including cochl-
neal, logwood, ETC., are attached to
cloth in this manner. The fixing agents
or mordants generally employed are
different strengths of red liquor (acc-
tate of alumina), iron liquor (acetate
of from, and mixtures of these. These
are thickened with wheat-starch, po-
tato flour, roasted starch or dextrine,
and gum-arabic, so that the mordant
may not run when it is placed on the
cloth by the pattern-block or by the
printing machine. After the mOrdant
has been imprinted on the cloth, the
latter is hung in warm, airy room,
where it can easily dry, but where it is
at the same time surrounded by u
moist atmosphere. The result is, that
the mordant is decomposed, the acetic
acid is evolved, and the alumina or
iron is left attached to the fiber of the
cloth in the state of an insoluble sub
salt, which can not be dissolved by
water.
As some of the mordant is still left
in its original soluble condition, it is
necessary to wash the cloth free from
this, else, during the dyeing operation,
the soluble part of the mordant would
run on to those parts of the cloth not
intended to be colored, and thus pro-
duce blotted appearance. To obviate
this, the cloth, having undergone the
process of drying and ageing, is then
introduced into n vat containing water,
through which is diffused some COW
dung, dung substitute preparation
Of bone ash, sulphuric acid, carbonate
of soda and glue-or bran. The result
of this process of dunging is the re
moval of the soluble part of the mord
ant, as also the starch or thickening
agent, leaving the decomposed or in
soluble mordant adhering to the fiber
The terms dung-fxing, substitute-fxins
and bran-hXing have reference to thu
employment of one or other of thes,
agents at this stage of the operation
When tie cloth has been well washed
from the dunging, it is introduced int
the vat or dyc-beck containing tn,
coloring matter. The whole is heated
by steam pipes, and the cloth being
placed on a spared reel kept in motion
is repeatedly wound out of the vat, ant
returned thereto. The result is, tina
wherever the mordant adhered to tn
cloth the coloring matter is attached
thereto, and little or no trace of colo
adheres to the unmordanted parts.
The last operation is the clearing OF
Frightening, during whion the colore,
cloth is introduced into warm baths o
water containing soda, or for the NOR
delicate tints, bran, and is thereafte
acted on by weak acid solutions. TIL
object is to clear the colors, and at th
same time to confer upon them tn
property of resisting the fading actio
Of the air and sun for much longe
time. The different shades of color whic
can be obtained from the same madde
beck or vat, with different MOI
dants, is very numerous, and include
reds, lilacs, puppies, chocolates an
blacks. Thus, when a weak solutio
of red liquor (acetate of alumina)
employed as the mordant, light-re
tint is produced; with stronger an
| minous mordant, a deep red is forme
r on the cloth; with Il more or less dilut
, solution of iron liquor (acetate of iron,
5 the cloth is colored lilac. violet or pm
pie; with n strong solution of iro
| liquor, black is obtained. Indeed. I'll
D same piece of cloth stamped in diffe
Q ent places with the various strength
Of aluminous and iron mordants, an
. mixtures of these, and immersed in Il
a madden bath, will be obtained dye
, with all the shades mentioned; and
G this manner many of the beautif
t yariagated eolored dresses and han